Process of winding threads and the like



Dec. 25, 1934. R ELSSNER A PROCESS 0F WINDING THREADS AND THE LIKE FiledApril l, 1932 I|II.IIII.IIIIIII.rII

I I l I I I I I I I I I I I I I I l l I II I f \I g I I I I I I l l I II l I I l fl? l I I I I I I I I I l I I I l f I I I i y Patented Dec.25, 1934 UNITED STATES n PROCESS F WINDING THREADS AND THE pRichardElssner, Johnson City, Tenn., assigner to North American RayonCorporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware ApplicationApril 1, 1932, Serial No. 602,635

i Claims.

My present invention relates to a method of producing artificial threadsandthe like, and has for its primary object the production of a moresuitable yarn body than has been heretofore possible.

In the production of artificial silk and the like, according to the wellknown viscose process, the thread issues from a spinnerettev immersed ina suitable coagulating bath, and the thus newlyformedthread-like-material passes directly to a winding mechanism consistingessentially of a thread-guide and a rotatable forarninous or`perforatedspool, said elements having a transverse movement one with relation tothe other so thatl5 the thread-like material is wound cross-wise into anumber of superimposed series of convolutions first in one then in theother direction.

One difficulty which had been encountered in the production ofartificial silk and the like was a tendency toward a lack of uniformityin the character of the thread which tendency was caused by the factthat the material during the various processes is subjected to'unequalstrains. For example in washing and dyeing of the freshly formed threadby drawing liquids through the' convolutions of the material into theinterior of the spool unequal strains are set up, and, since the threadis already more or less tightly wound on the spools, the ready and equalpenetration ofthe liquids through the yarn body is prevented. Toovercome these diiliculties there has been pro- Lvided a method ofwinding the thread on spools which consists essentially in laying orwinding the thread-like material4 into slack convolutions of suchamplitude thatsubsequent shrinkage may occur without placing unequalstrain on diierent portionsthereof. This is accomplished by theprovision of a suitable means which imparts to the reciprocating thread'guide an oscillatory movement. This results not onlyin a helicalwinding of the thread on the spool but at the same time undulations areproduced in each helix.

I have found, however, that although such a winding hasproducedsatisfactory results in the washing and dryingof the yarn, yet ity mustusually be given a twist by placing the spool on a suitable twistingmachine. I have found that vdue to the 'helical path in which the yarnhas been placed on the spools by the above process, the outerconvolutions thereof become very loose when the thread is being`twisted. This is due tothe peripheral speed of the spunspool and thecentrifugal forces generated thereby.

tion to provide a novel method which will over-V come the difiicultymentioned above.

A further object of my present invention is to provide a suitable methodin which the undulations formed on the helicailly wound thread will- 5be gradually reduced in amplitude thus reducing theflooseness of wind asthe yarn body -is formed.

These and other objects will in part become obvious and in part bepointed out in the following specification and in conjunction with the10 accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a typical lay or winding of thethread-like material on a spool at the beginning of a Wind;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustratl5 ing in dotted linesthe Wind after it has partially built upon the spool, the lay orwindingof the thread-like material at this point has had the amplitude of theoscillation suitably decreased;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figures 1 and 2 20 illustrating in dottedlines the yarn body after it has been almost completely built up on thespool, one lay or winding of the thread-like material being shown withtheamplitude of the oscillations reduced to a. negligible amount. g5

In the drawing in which like numerals of reference indicate like parts,1 indicates the cylindrical winding surface of a spool, which may beusedin the collecting of threads of artificial origin. The yarn body isindicated in dotted so lines by the reference numeral 3. The thread, orthreads, 4, or the like, is laid in a series of undulations 5 crosswise,rst in one direction and then in the other direction, saidy series beingsuperimposed.

In. Figure 1 it will be noted that the amplitude of the'undulation 5 isabout twice that of the amplitude of undulations 'indicated in Figure 2of the drawing. In Figure 3 the convolutions 5 are shown to havea'negligible amplitude.

'I'hus it is readily perceived how the 'amplitude of convolutions of thethread or filaments 4 may be gradually reduced as the yarn body buildsup on the spool.

My invention consists in leading the freshly spun thread to a spoolwhich is adapted to be rotated-by any. suitable mechanism. The thread gis laid on the spool by a reciprocatingguide and the guide itself isoscillated through a predetermined, arc. As the winding of the threadcontinues, I gradually decrease the arc through which the thread guideis oscillated so that when the winding is completed, the oscillation ofthe, thread guide will be decreased a' certain degree. Thusv the layers.of threads adjacent the spool will be loosely wound in helicalundulationsof large amplitude permitting the shrinkage of the yarnagainst the spool without imparting any undue and unequal strainsthereto. Since the outer layers, when shrunk, will bear against theyielding yarn body, the same amplitude of undulation will beunnecessary. Moreover the outer layers being more tightly wound, permitthe yarn to be more easily unwound when placed in position forthetwisting step without impairing in any manner the twisting operation.

I may also discontinue the oscillatory movement of the thread guideduring the last few moments of the spinning or winding operation. Theresults obtained thereby will be even more favorable from a twistingstandpoint, as the layers of thread spun in the manner just describedwill act as a convenient starter when the spools .are placed inoperative position on the twisting machine.

Although I have described my invention with vvspecific' relation to theproduction of artificial silk and the like bythe viscose process, itwill be readily appreciated that my new method of spinning may be usedwith other processes and I therefore desire it to be understood that Iam not limited except by the scope of the appended claims.

What I desire to claim as new is:

1. In a method for winding yarn upon spool, the steps of Winding theyarn thereupon in a series of superimposed layers extending in opposinghelical directions, undulating the laments in. each layer so that aseries of undulations in the plane of each helix is produced, andgradually decreasing the amplitude of the undulations as the thread bodyupon the spool increases in posing helical directions, undulating thefilaments in each layer so that a series of undulations in the plane ofeach helix is produced, de-

creasing-the amplitude of the undulations as the thread body upon thespool increases in size, and windlng the outermost layers without anyundulations whatever.

3. In a method of winding yarn bodies, the steps of laying up the yarnbody in a series of helical windings in superimposed layers, undulatingthe laments of separate layers and decreasing the amplitude of the saidundulations while the build-up of the yarn body proceeds.

4. In a method for winding yarn upon spools, the steps of winding theyarn thereupon in a series of superimposed layers extending in opposinghelical directions, undulating the laments in each layer so that aseries of undulations in the plane of each helix is produced, anddecreasing the amplitude of the undulations as theV thread body upon thespool increases in size.

RICHARD ELSSNER.

